Should Home and Garden Brands Use Google or Meta Ads?

When it comes to growing a brand online, one question always comes up: should you focus on paid search or paid social? In this episode of Tea Talks, Lu and Matt go head-to-head to answer exactly that. But instead of picking sides, they reveal how both channels work best when they work together — and how collaboration across platforms is the real key to driving results.

Both search and social target people at different points in the funnel. Neither is “better” — they just play different roles.

• Paid search captures people actively looking for solutions
• Paid social creates awareness and demand before intent even exists
• Customers move fluidly between platforms, especially for larger purchases
• Social ads can inspire, but search often closes the sale

The funnel might be messier now, but the psychology remains the same.

Collaboration Over Silos

The team talks about how working together unlocks better performance. No more paid media silos.

• Regular feedback loops between social and search teams
• Shared creative assets used across platforms
• Real-time updates on what’s working and what needs tweaking
• Consistent messaging builds stronger brand journeys
• They literally sit next to each other — and talk about accounts all day long.

Creative & Messaging Insights

Social provides a goldmine of quick testing and creative performance data.

• Low-cost creative tests on Meta help inform other platforms
• Insights from social guide PMAX creative updates
• Shared copy across channels improves user experience
• Easy tools (like Meta’s built-in creative features) make high-quality content accessible

It’s not about big budgets. It’s about agility and alignment.

Tracking the True Impact

The team is testing attribution models to better understand how social influences search behaviour.

• New tracking shows when someone sees a Meta ad, then Googles the brand
• Next step: separate organic vs. paid brand search results
• Final goal: tie Meta ad views to eventual purchases via search

This data will help prove brand uplift and refine the full-funnel strategy.

Key Takeaways

The Evergreen paid media team sums it up with three core principles:

• Cross-channel collaboration is essential
• Insights must be shared in both directions
• Paid search and paid social aren’t rivals — they’re partners

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